Be Still! (Drawing People)
12:17 PMWe went to my nephew's last home game of his high school career last Friday night and I decided to attempt sketching the players...
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| Black gel pen in No Name Watercolor Journal 3.5 x 5.5 inches |
- It is amazing how much the players shift around when you go to sketch them. The catcher shifts from side to side, foot to foot depending on the batter and where the ball may be going.
- If you're sitting directly behind home plate, sketching the catcher is complicated by the fact that you have a ref standing directly behind him, hovering over him, and blocking the view.
- The players, the pitcher and catcher, are on high alert and the tension shows in their bodies. I don't think I quite captured it as it showed mostly in their shoulders.
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| Batter for Our Team Black gel pen in No Name Watercolor Journal 3.5 x 5.5 inches |
After (almost) capturing the catcher, I decided to try my hand at a batter. The "guy" above is actually a sum of several players rather than just one guy. Because of the aforementioned ref/catcher combo being in the way, at times it was difficult to see the batter at all. More observations:
- It is surprising how quickly time moves when a player comes up to bat and either makes it on base or strikes out. This is partly my fault for being slow at sketching the human form (more practice is needed!).
- No two batters place their arms or feet in the same space. This means that their bodies are not in the same position either so you have to "wing it" and draw what you think is correct. This also applies to the same batter though it's not quite as noticeable.
- Some guys where their shirts and pants tight. Some do not. This can easily mess you up if you're not paying attention to the details.
- Most batters bat right-handed, a few bat left-handed. If you want a decent chance at finishing your batter, choose a right-hander rather than a left-hander...they're up to bat a lot more frequently.
Overall, it was a lot of fun to try to capture the action. I finally decided to put the sketchbook down and just enjoy the game as it's easy to miss a lot of the action.
And it's good to know how many innings there are in a high school game as well. It's not nine like the big leagues but seven, unless there's a tie. I didn't get to finish my batter because we were ahead when the seventh inning rolled around! Oops.
A big shout-out for Mitch who will be attending the University of Florida in the fall! Good luck, dude!
4 Creative Thought(s)
It really is hard even to make a composite drawing if too many people are moving about. I tried it for bowling. So hard. I really tip my hat to people who do it like its a piece of cake!
ReplyDeleteAnd I thought this was a slow moving game. Just shows my ignorance.
ReplyDeleteI wish I had been sketching when I spend hours and hours at ballgames. Fun.
ReplyDeleteYou would think that of any sport, baseball would be the "easiest" to try to draw. I spent many hours in the stands at Little League games and I wish I was sketching back then, too! It would have been good practice.
ReplyDeleteCongrats to Mitchell (and Leott) and best of luck to him!
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